8/29/02

AUBURN UNIVERSITY'S FALL Y.E.S. REGISTRATION UNDERWAY

AUBURN -- Seventh- through ninth-grade students who are interested in unique experiences in science and math can participate on two Saturdays this fall in the Youth Experiences in Science camps at Auburn University.

This year's camps -- sponsored by the AU College of Sciences and Mathematics and the Athletic Department -- will be Sept. 28 and Oct. 5. The camps are free, but registration is required, and participants are expected to attend both days of the camp.

Applications may be downloaded by clicking here. The deadline to register is Sept. 13.

The science camps are designed to excite and inspire interest in science and math by introducing young students to science-based activities they've never seen before.

Faculty from the College of Sciences and Mathematics, the College of Education, and exceptional secondary science teachers from Alabama and Georgia will teach the six-hour camps. All faculty and staff involved with Y.E.S. are experienced with K-12 outreach education and will aim to challenge the students intellectually and academically.

Y.E.S. founder and AU physics Professor Marllin Simon expressed the importance of programs that introduce students to science at an early age.

"Students can't wait until they get to be a senior in high school and decide, 'Okay, I think I'll become a scientist.' Then it will be too late for them to take all the math classes they need such as trigonometry, geometry and algebra," he says. "We have to introduce them to science no later than middle school. If we don't, we may not get them at all."

Simon also added that programs such as Y.E.S. help students develop intellectually stimulating hobbies and good study habits.

"Students really seem to enjoy this program," said Mary Lou Ewald-Howard, director of Outreach for the College of Sciences and Mathematics and Y.E.S. co-founder. "All of the courses tend to be very high energy with lots of hands-on activities that not only keep their hands busy, but also their minds. I've never heard students say they were bored or they didn't want to come back. Many of them are repeat participants who want to return every chance they get."

Students participating in the fall 2002 program have an exciting list of classes to choose from including: Lego's with Computers; Blood, Diseases and Forensics; Web Page Design; Geometry of Models and Games; Food Safety; and Fossils.

"Parents are extremely appreciative that the university offers such a program for their children," Howard said. "Also, programs like Y.E.S. are one way to let Alabamians know that higher education is here for all of us, not just a chosen few."

For more information on Y.E.S. contact Howard at 334/ 844-5745, or via e-mail at: ewaldml@auburn.edu

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CONTACT: Ewald-Howard, 334/844-5745.